Squaliolus aliae

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	SQUALIFORMES	DALATIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Squaliolus aliae

Species Authority:

Teng, 1959

Common Name/s:

English

–

Smalleye Pygmy Shark

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2003
Assessor/s:	Heupel, M.R. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003)
Reviewer/s:	Shark Specialist Group Australia & Oceania Regional Group (Shark Red List Authority)
Justification: Squaliolus aliae has a patchy, but wide distribution throughout the Indo-West Pacific. Possibly the smallest known living shark, its size means it is irregularly taken in fisheries. Based on this and its wide range this species is classified as Least Concern.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This population is restricted to separate regions in Australia, the Philippines and Japan.
Countries:	Native: Australia; Japan; Philippines
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – western central; Pacific – southwest; Pacific – northwest
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	Little is known about the population size in this range and no scientific data are currently available concerning the population size of this species.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	S. aliae is epi- or mesopelagic near land masses. It is thought to use a depth range from 200 to 2,000 m. Individuals are thought to make daily migrations from shallow depths (200 m) at night to deeper waters (2,000 m) during the day. This is possibly the smallest living shark attaining a size of approximately 22 cm total length (TL) with males maturing at 15 cm TL. Females are ovoviviparous but litter sizes are unknown. Diet includes cephalopods and bony fishes. The biology of this species is almost entirely unknown.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

S. aliae is epi- or mesopelagic near land masses. It is thought to use a depth range from 200 to 2,000 m. Individuals are thought to make daily migrations from shallow depths (200 m) at night to deeper waters (2,000 m) during the day. This is possibly the smallest living shark attaining a size of approximately 22 cm total length (TL) with males maturing at 15 cm TL. Females are ovoviviparous but litter sizes are unknown. Diet includes cephalopods and bony fishes. The biology of this species is almost entirely unknown.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are currently no fisheries threats identified for this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are currently no fisheries threats identified for this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are currently no conservation measures in place for this species.

Conservation Actions:

There are currently no conservation measures in place for this species.

Citation:	Heupel, M.R. 2003. Squaliolus aliae. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012.
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